How To Make A Timeline In Excel

Desire to acquire how to create a timeline in Excel ?

A project timeline is a tape of all the important events and milestones in a project.

And similar it or not, Microsoft Excel is still a commonly used tool for this purpose.

Note, we said usually used, not ideal.

Either fashion, if you're lost in the maze of Excel'southward rows and columns, hither'southward your way out.

In this commodity, you'll learn about what a projection timeline is, how to create one in Excel, and a better culling to the procedure!

Let's go started!

What Is A Projection Timeline?

A project timeline nautical chart is a visualization of the chronological society of events in a project. It's a serial of tasks (assigned to individuals or teams) that need to be completed inside a set time frame.

Here's what a comprehensive project timeline chart contains:

• Tasks in various phases
• Start appointment and cease date of tasks
• Dependencies between tasks
• Milestones

In short, it'due south something your project team will refer to rail what's done and what needs to be done.

And as a project manager, it's the most important tool in your kit.

With so much riding on information technology, it's a project document that y'all absolutely must get correct.

Want a headstart on other projection-related documentation? Cheque our detailed guides on:

• Project plan
• Projection charter
• Projection management lifecycle

Got these covered?

Then hitting that coil bar to learn how to make your project timeline nautical chart on an Excel spreadsheet!

How To Create A Project Timeline In Excel?

There are ii main approaches to create a timeline in Excel.

Let's dive right in.

one. SmartArt tools graphics

SmartArt tools are the best pick for a basic, to-the-point project timeline in Excel.

Hither's how you can create an Excel timeline chart using SmartArt.

• Click on the Insert tab on the overhead task pane
• Select Insert a SmartArt Graphic tool
• Nether this, choose the Process option
• Find the Bones Timeline chart blazon and click on information technology
• Edit the text in the text pane to reflect your project timeline

Add equally many fields as you want in the SmartArt text box by simply striking Enter in the text pane to open the corresponding dialog box.

Excel also lets you change the SmartArt timeline layout afterward you lot've inserted the text.

Yous can change it to a:

• Line chart
• Bones bar chart
• Stacked bar nautical chart

And of course, experience free to play around with the Excel chart colour schemes in the SmartArt Pattern tab.

A SmartArt graphic is perfect for a loftier-level project timeline that displays all the of import milestones. However, it may not be sufficient to display all the tasks and activities that lead upwards to them.

For this, your Excel dashboard volition need something more complex: like a scatter plot Excel chart.

2. Besprinkle plot charts

Besprinkle plot charts display every complex data indicate at one glance.

Commencement, lay the foundation for the chart by making a data table with bones information such as:

• Chore (or milestone) name
• Due date
• Priority level (one-4, in increasing order)

When you add dates, brand sure your cells are formatted to reflect the right engagement format. For example, DD/MM/YYYY, MM/DD/YYYY, etc.

Hither'due south what a sample information table looks like:

To generate a scatter plot nautical chart from this:

• Elevate and select the data table
• Click on the Insert tab in the superlative card
• Click on the Scatter chart icon
• Select your preferred chart layout

Format this basic scatter chart to show your data even more than conspicuously:

• Select the chart
• Click on the Chart Design tab on the overhead task pane
• Click on the Add Chart Element icon in the height left corner
• Add a Data Label and Data Callout
• Edit the chart title

Keep exploring to customize the scatter plot chart further.

While scatter plot charts are slightly more complex than a SmartArt graphic, they may nonetheless non be enough for your horizontal timeline.

And let's non forget that the purpose of a project timeline is to manage fourth dimension on a project. How's one supposed to practise that while attention Excel 101 classes to create a simple chart?

The answer lies in using a project timeline template:

3 Excel Project Timeline Templates

Don't we all know an Excel wizard?

Someone who makes united states of america feel like we skipped a class?

Well, now y'all can be one of them also!

Thankfully you won't have to read moth-eaten books and sit in ancient libraries to become an Excel expert.

Just let an Excel project timeline template exercise the magic.

1. Excel Gantt chart timeline template

Download this Excel Gantt nautical chart timeline template and larn more near making Gantt charts in Excel.

2. Excel timeline template for milestones

Download this Excel milestone chart template.

iii. Excel project schedule template

Download this Excel project schedule template.

An Excel template should ease your project timeline worries. For some fourth dimension . 👀

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on the long-term issues of Excel project management:

3 Limitations Of Using Excel To Create A Projection Timeline

Excel is like the old t-shirt that y'all never want to give away.

Why should you?

Information technology fits you just right and has the coolest hashtags!

Merely if you desire to attain audacious goals, y'all'll need to move beyond both of them. 💔

Here's why yous need to move on from Microsoft Excel for your project timeline needs.

1. No individual to-do lists

Sure, being able to access gigantic spreadsheets and information series with conditional formatting is great.

Just y'all know what's better?

Something that tells y'all what you need to exercise.

After all, Excel can't help you build a functional to-exercise list and assign it to individual team members.

Unless your idea of a team meeting is looking into your spreadsheet'southward soul with a magnifying glass, Excel won't cut it for to-exercise lists.

Even so, let'southward say you physically type out each person's deliveries in a sheet, you yet take the problem of…

2. Transmission follow-ups

In the age of customized app notifications and uber-smart reminders, Excel projection direction depends on manual follow-ups.

What will your strategy exist? Email colleagues, deport hourly cheque-ins, or tap on everyone's shoulders to enquire if they're done with their task. 🤯

Not simply is information technology terribly inconvenient (and frankly annoying) it gives you no thought most your project'due south progress.

three. Non-collaborative

Practise you piece of work in a non-hierarchical Active environment where the whole squad is involved in the controlling process?

Well, judge what?

An Excel file can't handle this.

Microsoft Excel (and other MS tools like Powerpoint) believe in single ownership of documents with limited back up for collaboration.

And that's hardly the complete list of why Excel tin can't evangelize.

Read all about why Excel project management SHOULDN'T be your get-to solution .

Luckily, we can point you in the management of smoother workflows and efficient projection management.

Check out ClickUp!

Create Effortless Project Timelines With ClickUp

Excel is a smart, handy tool that's also occasionally clunky and very intimidating.

But what if you could take a tool that can practice everything Excel does, except far meliorate?

The answer is ClickUp!

Information technology's an award-winning project management tool that ensures end-to-end project management without the need to toggle between windows.

Just employ the Timeline view, Gantt Chart, and Table view to get a complete picture of your project timeline on ClickUp.

ane. Timeline view

ClickUp'south Timeline view is for those who want more than from their timelines!

It gives you more tasks per row and more customization options than you lot can imagine.

The Timeline view may look like regular rows and columns like in adept old Excel on the surface. But information technology lets you do then much more than.

Use it to:

• Add tasks by clicking anywhere on the timeline!
• Drop existing tasks into the timeline and adapt their duration
• Assign these tasks to team members right from your spreadsheet

No thing how many Excel crash courses you take, it'll never let for such smoothen task management.

Now you tin:

• Group tasks by Assignees or Priority
• Find equally of yet unassigned tasks
• Rail unscheduled or overdue tasks
• Suit the time window you want to view tasks in

Wondering most those customizing options? Yous tin can:

• Adjust the number and nature of notifications
• Hibernate or show weekends on the timeline
• Hide or show subtasks
• Cull to see closed/completed tasks
• And so much more!

Finally, a living, breathing project timeline!

2. Gantt nautical chart view

If you lot're plotting a project timeline, chances are you're besides plotting a Gantt chart.

Information technology's 1 step above a linear timeline as it lets you visualize project progress (equally opposed to only the scheduled tasks) and trace dependencies clearly.

Learn how project timelines differ from a Gantt chart .

And with ClickUp on your side, it'south never been easier to create a Gantt nautical chart!

Here's how y'all add the Gantt view in ClickUp:

In your Workspace:

• Click on the + sign in any List, Binder, or Infinite
• Select Gantt
• Rename it
• Yous may choose to make it a Personal
• Pivot the view for quick admission

ClickUp uses information on your scheduled Tasks, Subtasks, Assignees, and Due Dates to generate a comprehensive Gantt nautical chart for your project. Yous can cheque all this information by clicking on the sidebar of your Gantt nautical chart.

Make the well-nigh of your Gantt chart experience by managing Dependencies.

• Draw lines betwixt tasks to schedule dependencies
• Reschedule them with elevate and drop actions
• Delete them past hovering over and clicking on the dependency line and then selecting Delete

Observe out the progress percentage of your project by hovering over the progress bar.

Y'all can customize the Gantt chart further by changing its color scheme and adding different colors for various Priority levels.

Right-click on whatsoever Job on the chart and turn it in a bright, diamond-shaped Milestone. And when the chart is ready, download it equally a PDF or share it straight from your Workspace!

You can even use it to summate your project's critical path.

It's the minimum number of tasks you need to end to wrap your project successfully.

Only follow these steps:

• Open up a Gantt view
• Click the Path Calculations icon
• Hover on Critical Path
• Hover on Testify Slack Time

This will assist you lot identify what work areas tin can be adjusted without affecting the project's deadline.

3. Table view

Yous may be wondering, "Hey, that all sounds good, merely Microsoft Excel feels similar home."

That'due south why we have the Table view.

It'south a condensed look at your project timeline.

Only you can also enhance it to bear witness every bit much groundwork information as you lot want.

Amp up your spreadsheet experience with these functions:

• Drag to re-create your table and paste information technology into whatsoever Excel-blazon software
• Pin columns and change the row height for handy data analysis
• Navigate the spreadsheet with keyboard shortcuts

Simply almost chiefly, y'all tin share your Tabular array publicly to collaborate with others. All of this without ever quitting your projection management infinite!

That'due south just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this chart tools views.

You lot tin can access your project as a List, Board, Calendar, and other flexible views!

And we're still not done. Look at what else ClickUp has in store for you:

• Native Fourth dimension Tracking: track every minute spent working on each project
• Automation: choose from over l+ ways to get ClickUp to perform repetitive tasks automatically
• Goals: organize your project targets in Goals and easy to attain Targets
• Dashboards: stay updated on of import metrics with tons of unlike charts and reports
• Integrations: integrate tertiary-party apps, similar Zoom and Google Drive, into your ClickUp workspace
• Pulse: keep in touch with your team'south activity throughout the twenty-four hours
• iOS and Android mobile apps: to collaborate seamlessly even on the get

The Time's Upward For Excel Projection Timelines!

Deadlines, coordination, reviews.

Project time direction is an endless struggle.

And your project timeline is the one tool that helps y'all consistently navigate this.

So you desire to exist careful with where and how you build your project timeline.

Excel may seem like a simple way out, just it's not the friendly, long-term companion it promises to be.

ClickUp, on the other mitt, volition permit you expertly juggle multiple projects and manage fourth dimension efficiently.

So stop looking for Excel tips and merely go ClickUp for gratuitous today.

It's your ticket to project management sky!

Related readings:

• How to create a timesheet in Excel
• How to create a form in Excel
• How to brand a calendar in Excel
• How to create a Kanban board in Excel
• How to create a mind map in Excel

Source: https://clickup.com/blog/create-a-timeline-in-excel/

Posted by: wisdomaboaccon.blogspot.com

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